In a crucial encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are taking on the bottom-ranked Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match 59 of the tournament. With playoff berths at stake, both teams are gearing up for a high-stakes clash.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s batting form a key factor
Leading the charge for CSK is captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, whose scintillating form with the bat has been instrumental in his team’s success this season. With 541 runs to his name in 11 games, Ruturaj trails only Virat Kohli in the list of leading run-getters. Today presents an opportunity for him to inch closer to Kohli’s tally of 634 runs and further solidify his position as one of the top batters of the tournament. In contrast, GT skipper Shubman Gill‘s underwhelming performance, especially compared to his stellar run last year, has contributed to the Titans languishing at the bottom of the points table.
Reason behind the absence of Wriddhiman Saha and Joshua Little
Ahead of the crucial encounter, both teams have made strategic changes to their playing XIs. Ruturaj, after finally breaking his toss jinx, opted to bowl first upon winning the toss. The inclusion of Rachin Ravindra in place of Richard Gleeson added depth to the CSK bowling lineup, although the skipper refrained from specifying the exact reason behind the change.
“We will bowl first. Looks a good wicket to be honest. It’s been a chasing ground, so we will look to chase. We had injuries in between, but happy now. Rachin Ravindra comes in for Gleeson,” said Ruturaj at the toss.
Meanwhile, the hosts Gujarat have also shuffled their lineup, making a couple of notable exclusions. Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha, who has been pivotal for the team, was sidelined due to a niggle, with Matthew Wade stepping in to fill the void. Ireland star Joshua Little also found himself out of the playing XI, making way for Kartik Tyagi as GT aimed to strike a balance in their team combination.
“Will be a good surface to bat on. Will score runs and try to restrict them. Wade comes in for Saha who has a niggle. In order to balance the team combination Kartik Tyagi comes in for Joshua Little,” explained Gill.
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GT vs CSK, Playing XI of both teams
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, David Miller, Matthew Wade (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Kartik Tyagi
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh
Impact Substitutes of both sides
GT: Abhinav Manohar, Sandeep Warrier, BR Sharath, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav
CSK: Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Aravelly Avanish, Sameer Rizvi, Mukesh Choudhary
Also WATCH: Ravindra Jadeja recreates iconic IPL 2023 final winning moment ahead of GT vs CSK game
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